Man Tries To Rape Bikini Barista In Kent

A bikini barista working at the Hottie Shots Espresso in Kent, Washington, was nearly raped after a man entered through the window and threatened her with a knife. However, the attempted rape was caught on video, and the 33-year-old man was soon arrested by local police, who said the suspect had an “extensive criminal history.”

The man arrived at the Hottie Shots Espresso stand around 5 AM and ordered a drink. In the video, he is seen sliding the pick up window open before climbing inside and rushing toward the bikini barista, 30-year-old Madeline Guinto (who waived her right to anonymity by giving an interview about the attack to a CBS affiliate). The suspect then pushed Ms. Guinto to the floor and appeared to threaten her with a knife.

Ms. Guinto can be heard on the video yelling “oh my god” as the attacker approaches her. After pushing her to the floor, he appears to say something to her. After a short while, the suspect picks Ms. Guinto up and leads her toward the window, where he forces her to climb out. The bikini barista said in an interview with CBS affiliate KVAL that the attacker then led her down a dark alley in an attempt to rape her.

“He told me that if I didn’t get out of the stand he was going to kill me,” Ms. Guinto told KVAL, “and when he said that he pressed [the knife] closer to my throat.” Originally, the bikini barista thought this was just another robbery, as the stand had experienced attempted robberies in the past. Another barista told KOMO News: “We’ve had a couple of robberies and I’ve actually been held up myself and that’s terrifying in itself, but for the most part if you just give them some money, they go.” She continued, “This was a totally different thing. This was much scarier.”

Ms. Guinto told KVAL that as she was led down the alleyway, “He kept telling me, ‘You’re coming with me or I will kill you.’ I was keeping as calm as I could be, but I was thinking I’m going to die trying to live. I’m going to die fighting.” She said that during the first moments of the attack she was “shrugging [her] shoulders up to keep the air coming into [her] lungs,” and “searching for a knife.”

After leading Ms. Guinto down the alley, the suspect fled when he heard a car approaching. Although Ms. Guinto suffered some minor scratches, she told KVAL that she wanted people to know that she fought back. “I was thinking I’m going to die trying to live. I’m going to die fighting,” she told the CBS affiliate. She continued, saying “This guy did not expect me to fight back. He didn’t expect me to be as strong as I am.”

The bikini barista continued to tell KVAL that she hoped her experience would inspire other women to fight against their attackers. “I hope this would encourage other women to be ready,” she said, “Don’t work out just because you want to be skinny or fit into that bikini. You work out to be strong so you can fight back.” In regards to the suspect being arrested, Ms. Guinto added: “That is relieving just to hear that he won’t ever get anyone again, I am kind of just glad it’s over.”